NCAE leader addresses VGCC Educators Symposium
Area residents interested in careers in the education field met at Vance-Granville Community College’s main campus for an “Educators Symposium” on March 25. High school students, VGCC students and local school system personnel were among those in attendance.
The keynote speaker was Sheri Strickland, the president of the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), whose topic was “What It Takes To Be a Good Educator.” Strickland, who has more than 30 years of experience in special education, asked attendees to think about the educators who made a difference in their lives. She recommended a book on that subject, “Finding Mrs. Warnecke,” by former North Carolina Teacher of the Year Cindi Rigsbee, a memoir that offers “real-life tips” for aspiring teachers. “There is no magic formula for what makes a good teacher, and there is significant variety among them,” Strickland said, “but I think there are a few prerequisites.” She argued that these include a desire to see all children succeed and learn; deep knowledge of the subject being taught; classroom management skills; the ability to understand how others think, learn and process; the capacity to create a “safe place” for all children to learn; the willingness to communicate with parents; and concern not only for the students in one classroom, but for all those in the school or the community and the teaching profession as a whole.
Following the address by Strickland, participants attended break-out sessions, including one led by Dr. Shirley Arrington of the North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium, on “Support for Becoming a Teacher,” another with Dr. Abram Liles, Director of Classified Personnel for Granville County Schools, discussing “What Employers are Looking for in Teachers and Teacher Assistants,” and sessions on the opportunities available at two universities. Dr. Ramona D. Cox, coordinator of teacher recruitment and retention for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, spoke about the UNC School of Education. North Carolina Central University’s School of Education was represented by Dr. Dorothy Singleton, chair for Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Studies, recruiter Denise Robinson and early college high school liaison Carmen Dorsey.
The symposium was organized by Jacquelin Heath , the head of VGCC’s School-Age Education program . For more information on School-Age Education, call (252) 738-3298.
Above: As, seated from left, VGCC Dean of Arts and Sciences Dr. Michael Ellis and School-Age Education program head Jacquelin Heath listen, North Carolina Association of Educators president Sheri Strickland (standing) references a book by a North Carolina teacher while addressing the VGCC Educators Symposium. (VGCC photo)
